Same sentiment here, I don't really want all this crud in the same device that's cleaning the items that I'm eating off of. I just can't get myself to do it.

Plus I also collect and shoot guns so another good use for it besides pinball

I broke down and bought the 22l Kendal. Do any of you know the size of the threads on the drain valve the manual has nothing

The hose that came with mine didn't fit, I haven't yet figured out what it actually is. I ended up just moving the thing to the edge of the table and drain it into the water canister. I'm thinking about drilling a hole and putting one of those spigots into a five gallon bucket. That way the solids would settle in the bottom of the bucket and i can just fill the cleaner by putting the bucket on top and opening the spigot and reversely just draining it back into the bucket. Rinse and repeat.

My whatever smaller size Kendal has 1/2 NPT ball valve.

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Ha I didn’t even notice writing on mine. I will have to do down in the basement and check it out

Yup it’s there just had to bend down and look lol

Just noticed that Harbor Freight now has this bigger ultrasonic cleaner. No idea if its any good, just posting here for information purposes, maybe someone will try it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-liter-ultrasonic-parts-cleaner-59430.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2023_05_30_wk2223_new_tool_tuesday_0_60_ENGAGED&uid=8de8b5c069b2bfb915ddfee1d69aa9bc5e096950acd146a9ad1b523523b54c01&infy=13724231545&bxid=13,724,231,545&mi_u=13,724,231,545&mi_ecmp=2023_05_30_wk2223_new_tool_tuesday_0_60_ENGAGED&plcc=N&utm_content=ntt

Not big enough, go for the 22L.

I don't know if this has come up before, so apologies if it's already common knowledge, but I "fixed" my harbor freight 2L today. It's a few years old. I only use it occasionally and it's been sitting unused probably 6 months.

It wasn't cleaning well at all and started flashing E01 and E02 on the display until it wouldn't run anymore.

I figured I'd pop it apart and see if there was anything simple I could fix. The board all looked fine, nothing loose, the element still solidly attached, etc. I said oh well and just for kicks put it all back together. Now it works great again! No errors on the display and it's cleaning nicely again.

All I did was reseat all the cables.

The innards were nice and clean. I have read here about the leakage issue with dumping it out so I've always just used a dollar store turkey baster to empty it.

Question, would there be any harm in putting drop-target assemblies, largely assembled, into the cleaner?

Depends. Are there any graphics on the targets? Ultrasonics will strip away paint....

If they don't have graphics, I don't see why it'd be a problem.

Looking for a larger unit for at work. Anyone used the Creworks or DK Sonic brand on Amazon? Looking at 15L or 22L size models.

My current unit is a 10L model. At the time I ordered it, the Kendal brand was recommended by many here. That's was I ordered but it showed up with no name on it. Works fine and looks identical to the Kendal version.

I do see Kendal has a 21L version but figured I would ask about other manufacturers I am seeing. I know there is a lot of knock offs/copies of these things. Amazon reviews are tough to believe sometimes, especially with free product type reviews.

Bought my Kendal 9 years ago and still works like new. I had to replace the power switch on the back because i broke it. It’s been great. I went with the 12L 660watts. I can’t see going any smaller if you want to do complete pinball harnesses. Looks like amazon has a bigger one for less than half of what i paid. Reviews seem good. Picture of what i have and what looks about the same on amazon now.

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I bought a Kendal 21 this year it’s awesome. All my harnesses became spotless

I’m happy with my 12L but when I saw how cheap the 30L was on amazon I had to pull the trigger. Now instead of doing a full disassembly of the nasty coin door I can just raise a few switches out of the cleaner. Massive time saver! Notice how it removed all the spray paint from the door. Temp gets hot and works great so far. If door comes out with any rust it goes into evapo rust for a night then sonic again. Do not leave price plastics in.

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How much time did you run it to remove the paint, and how hot?

I went with a 15L model. I think it's the smallest size to reasonably accommodate a wiring harness with the basket removed. The thick end bunch of wires stayed out and had to run through separately, but it worked.

It's my first time using one of these cleaners, so I'm trying to be cautious to not overdo it and risk damage.

I ran the harness for 8 minutes, and the water/solution was completely black. The harness came out clean, but did require a little wiping. I rinsed it afterwards with a jet spray to get rid of the sticky cleaner residue, which probably made wiping it unnecessary in hindsight. Dried it all with focused heat from 1000w halogen bulbs, plus a fan aimed for airflow.

Still trying to learn how to do this, but next time I will remove the coil wrappers first. Oops.

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I use compressed air to dry and blow out moisture from a harness.

this is what I use in my shop. There are other cheaper ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Powerful-Electronic-Environmentally-Friendly/dp/B01FWSYOME/ref=sr_1_8

I use compressed air to dry and blow out moisture from a harness.
this is what I use in my shop. There are other cheaper ones:
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Powerful-Electronic-Environmentally-Friendly/dp/B01FWSYOME/ref=sr_1_8

Dry it with the air and let is sit a few days hanging it should be fine

I finally upgraded to the 30l from the 6l. It was always tight getting some harnesses in or so many trips with the smaller size. So hoping to get more done at once.

So this new one has a plastic hose which I’m not sure why. It has a 1/2” NPT threaded connection with ball valve. This one is barbed and doesn’t fit. Anyone know what the purpose is or just a mistake?

I checked out the instructions to see what they list it as but it’s not. . But it says it can be used as a horniness alloy line lol!

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Nice. I think the funniest misinterpretation was once when i was at the buffet breakfast and Passion fruit was labelled "F$%k Fruit"

I pretty much do everything around 50C for 20 minutes. You always need to wipe/clean harness wire after clean cycle. I like to use a big storage tub lid to clean/rinse harnesses. I then rinse in dehumidifier non mineral water. I place in front of the dehumidifier overnight. Everything is definitely dry plus you have more good rinsing water. Don’t worry about coil wrap paper. They can either survive or fall off. I wrap them in colored sign vinyl, red or white.

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I recall someone saying the ultrasonic cleaner could remove stains on a baseball hat that the washing machine could never remove

12 minutes in the ultrasonic did the job.

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Have you seen the coil wrapper templates on inkochnito's page? https://www.pinballrebel.com/pinball/cards/

I laser print them onto colourful paper and they look mint.

Not seeing them. What are they listed under?

Left side. Bottom. Coil wrappers.

LTG : )

Got it! Thanks. I had to scroll the left side up to see it on my screen.

Some manufacturers are touchy about the use of their logos, so make sure you read the instructions at the top of the page for the best possible print.

22L Yitahome Ultrasonic $136 today (remember to check the -$34 coupon box).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7Z67QKC

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I may have missed a step, and i dont see much discussion about it here.

i had screws and kibbles and bits off firepower. put them in equal parts simple green and water.

80c for 10 min.

looked awesome. now rusting.

so i put them in an evaporust bath.

when they come out, what should i do?

how do i prevent rust like that? what are steps for handling everything after the cleaning? did i maybe use too much water?

Any raw metal will rust in a moist, humid, or salty environment. Bare metal out of sonic cleaner should either be polished or dipped in a coating of something to seal it with a rust blocker. This is why pinballs come covered in oil. Blockers like Wd40, floor wax, or a million other things that have pros and cons. If it can be polished with novus or something similar it will buy some time. Evaporust made a spray sealer as well.

so pull them out, use a drier and a towel, then some coating/protector to stop the rust from forming?

im on page 9 reading thru this whole thing, and it doesnt come up but rarely.

could i have run the materials for too long possibly?

Yes, it's as simple as that.

You can use any number of commercial/industrial products (google *Rust Preventative Sprays*) or any light oil (3 in 1 oil, gun oil, mineral oil etc...).

For larger brackets and fizz-gigs, I spray them with a clear coat such as Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Enamel (or any other similar product)

I would say yes.

I used to run my old one for 10 minutes and it worked fine but I think my unit was going to shit.

I bought a new one and 3 minutes and all I need.

Once cleaned and dried, I tumble everything for a day and they come out great.

Thanks folks. I just hadn't seen anyone in this thread have any issues with their screws nuts bolts rusting as dramatically as i did.

it was my first go, so i did the following wrong:
1. Used simple green vs mean green (I now see mean green isn't as corrosive)
2. Didn't pre-heat the ultrasonic
3. Because it didn't get as clean the first time (due to the lack of heat), i ran it again.

I will be using a smaller percentage of cleaner, preheat at 50c, then run for 3-5 min max. I'll also switch to the ultradust once i use up the stuff i bought for this.

After the parts are clean, you have to run them in the tumbler with Flitz additive and walnut medium.

The Flitz is the rust preventitive coating.

You can also rub the flitz on manually with a rag, its just easier to dump everything in the tumbler.

You can also just spray WD-40 on the parts and wipe them down, but the Flitz is better.

Were the parts zinc plated (probably)? Keep in mind that zinc plating is a sacrificial coating for steel. That means it corrodes in place of the steel. The good news is that it corrodes at a small fraction of the rate that steel does. Over time, and particularly in the presence of moisture, the shiny zinc turns dull then it turns to a powdery look and feel. Zinc is chemically susceptible to acids and alkalis. So putting zinc plated parts into a corrosive bath (even vinegar) will tear the zinc plate right off down to bare metal. If your “screws and kibble” were crappy looking, the zinc plate was probable “done” and the only "fix" would be to strip it off completely and re-protect as previously mentioned.

Check out this video:

"Do Penetrating Oils Block Rust? Let's find out!"

Your milage may vary...

Thanks for the super informative video. Living near saltwater takes a toll on everything metal. Fluid film seems to be the big winner. I like how it’s non toxic.

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this was actually my first run post tumbler to get the crusty gunk off

Generally, you clean the parts first, then tumble.

After tumbling dont wash off the flitz, its the anti-rust coating. Just wipe off the parts.

Just the metal polish form or other kind?

Their *standard* metal polish "leaves behind a wax coating".

Check out there web site...they has all sorts of polishes, protectants, cleaners ect...

https://www.flitz.com/

it’s more the chunked up crud that wouldnt come off with aggressive cleaning after tumbling.

how would we handle that?

Wire brush

you clean before tumbling so that TONS of dirt doesnt get into the tumbler media.

The media will last much longer.

When cleaning nuts, bolts and screws, I mostly just replace the majority of them.

^^^What PINBALLINRENO said ^^^

Clean first then tumble.

If the crud is so bad, you may have to solvent wash first.

Or clean with a Dremel tool wire brush.

Personally, I use a bench grinder with a wire wheel, full face PPE and hold parts with plyers.

For solvent, I use spray auto break cleaner, definitely out side, well ventilated, appropriate PPE. Dry, ultrasonic wash, tumble, then re-protect.

Every so often, I just say f-it and buy new

I know what you’re meaning. If you use too much Flitz it can glob on a part. I wire wheel or clean up and tumble again. Or if you talking the screws and nuts, if they come out gray and crappy looking I’ll throw them out and use new. And have a pick for all the slotted and Philips screws. PITA!

It may also have to do with the media used. I once bought some cheap walnut shells online and turns out, it was too fine.

That shit globbed and blobbed in every inside corner. It SUCKED!

I must have thrown away 50 pounds of the shit.

Hey folks, I joined the club yesterday with the Harbor Freight 2.5L cleaner. I'm restoring a Black Hole and ran a couple pop bumper assemblies through it to great success! I'm using 1/5 simple green and water which is working well so far.

Anyone have tumbler recommendations?

You can start here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/what-tumbler-are-you-using-amp-what-are-you-tumbling